So I have a final exam on computer programming in about half an hour, and what am I doing? Blogging about the Steelers, that’s what.

Tonight the Steelers go into Cleveland to play against a relatively hot Browns team that seems to at least have learned how to play football in recent weeks. Brady Quinn, teenage heartthrob, finally gets his chance to lead his childhood team agains their division rivals. The Steelers have suffered a month of losing and the result has been a depth chart shakeup.

We’ll be seeing Joe Burnett and Keenan Lewis tonight, finally, and one has to wonder if Tomlin wants them to get playing time against a bad team. I would call that a mistake, because we’ve all seen what happens when you let your team play down to teams like the Raiders and Chiefs. The other option is that maybe two rookies are better than Gay and Taylor. That’s a scary thought, especially considering how reliable Ike usually is. We’re just going to have to wait and see what these new corners can do.

Is Deshea Townsend even still on the roster?

If Tomlin is going to mail it in this season and get his young guys experience (and honestly, who can blame him? The playoffs are out of reach), then I’d like to see what we have in Ziggy Hood as well. The rest of this season would be a chance to get all the new defensive guys some solid playing time and see what the future of the Steelers is. Maybe if we’re lucky, the game will be over by the 4th quarter and we might see Dennis Dixon again.

It’s kind of hard to talk about the season like it’s already over, because it isn’t. But it’s also time to consider the value of playing for the future (especially if the Jaguars win on Sunday).